Thursday, June 30, 2011
Brooklyn Bridge Park
For the past three mornings, Drew and I have climbed out of bed and walked to Brooklyn Bridge Park, coffees in hand. The park is a 1.5 mile stretch of bike path, sidewalk and trail along the East River from the bridge to Carroll Gardens. Some of it remains a work in progress, but the completed areas are fantastic and make me very happy to be back in the city. Not only that, next week I look forward to this.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I heart New York.
I'm still vibrating with excitement about the recent New York Senate vote to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Despite success stories in Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, D.C., Massachusetts and Connecticut, I'd become convinced that the setbacks in California and Maine had permanently disabled the civil rights movement of our time. I was wrong. And public opinion and support for equal marriage rights is shifting dramatically as the five states and the District of Columbia have shown the fearful that the world will not end by letting two men or two women tie the knot.
To say that all of this change is a surprise would be an understatement. I did not grow up thinking I would ever be married to another man, but here I am, married legally - at least in states that recognize it. Next week is our third anniversary.
I've been a little angry with Obama during the last couple of days. He has stated publicly that he believes that marriage laws should best be determined by the states. I sent him a terse email on Monday reminding him that his own parents' bi-racial marriage had been illegal in many states and threatened withdrawal of my support, financial and otherwise. I haven't heard back from the President. Yet. I'm sure I will. His timing is impressive, to say the least.
Meantime, I've been reading different opinions about the President's reaction. The most reasoned comes from Andrew Sullivan, of course. In a nutshell:
The bottom line is this: Drew and I got married in California, so our marriage should be recognized in every other state. That's only fair. I also believe churches and religious organizations who don't believe in same-sex unions should be allowed to discriminate against us. Sure, these groups and the fundamentalists who support them will increasingly look like relics, but they should be allowed to dig their graves as deep and as wide as they wish.
We don't live in a Christian nation or a Muslim nation. We live in a pluralistic society. I should be able to live a life of equality that is separate from your religion. And you should live separate from mine. And in between there should be this space that we share, a public space that we occupy together, where we all have access to the same rights.
I'm starting to feel sorry for the opponents of LGBT civil rights. They are missing out on so many great moments of growth in our nation. They're not celebrating progress, they're fighting it. Worse, many have children who are watching them stand in the way. In the not-so-distant future, these children will ask their parents where they stood in the fight for justice for gays and lesbians. These obstructionists will be held accountable for their action or inaction. Or maybe they'll remain silent. But I remember. And I'll tell their children exactly what happened.
Despite success stories in Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, D.C., Massachusetts and Connecticut, I'd become convinced that the setbacks in California and Maine had permanently disabled the civil rights movement of our time. I was wrong. And public opinion and support for equal marriage rights is shifting dramatically as the five states and the District of Columbia have shown the fearful that the world will not end by letting two men or two women tie the knot.
To say that all of this change is a surprise would be an understatement. I did not grow up thinking I would ever be married to another man, but here I am, married legally - at least in states that recognize it. Next week is our third anniversary.
I've been a little angry with Obama during the last couple of days. He has stated publicly that he believes that marriage laws should best be determined by the states. I sent him a terse email on Monday reminding him that his own parents' bi-racial marriage had been illegal in many states and threatened withdrawal of my support, financial and otherwise. I haven't heard back from the President. Yet. I'm sure I will. His timing is impressive, to say the least.
Meantime, I've been reading different opinions about the President's reaction. The most reasoned comes from Andrew Sullivan, of course. In a nutshell:
A civil rights movement does not get its legitimacy from any president. I repeat: he does not legitimize us; we legitimize him. As gays and lesbians, we should stop looking for saviors at the top and start looking for them within. We won this fight alongside our countless straight family members, friends, associates and fellow citizens. As long as Obama has done due diligence in the office he holds - and he has - he is not necessary to have as a Grand Marshall for our parade.Andrew's argument is worth reading, especially his take on why marriage rights are more protected at the state level. On the other hand, there's this devastating story from CNN that shows in human terms how marriage inequality literally destroys families. Not in the abstract. In reality. These policies harm people. Families are being ripped apart. I want the President to meet this couple and explain to them how this is a "states' rights" issue.
The bottom line is this: Drew and I got married in California, so our marriage should be recognized in every other state. That's only fair. I also believe churches and religious organizations who don't believe in same-sex unions should be allowed to discriminate against us. Sure, these groups and the fundamentalists who support them will increasingly look like relics, but they should be allowed to dig their graves as deep and as wide as they wish.
We don't live in a Christian nation or a Muslim nation. We live in a pluralistic society. I should be able to live a life of equality that is separate from your religion. And you should live separate from mine. And in between there should be this space that we share, a public space that we occupy together, where we all have access to the same rights.
I'm starting to feel sorry for the opponents of LGBT civil rights. They are missing out on so many great moments of growth in our nation. They're not celebrating progress, they're fighting it. Worse, many have children who are watching them stand in the way. In the not-so-distant future, these children will ask their parents where they stood in the fight for justice for gays and lesbians. These obstructionists will be held accountable for their action or inaction. Or maybe they'll remain silent. But I remember. And I'll tell their children exactly what happened.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Day Thirteen: Stormy Weather
It has been a while since I last posted anything, so I will try to give the highlights in no particular order.
This morning we shot at a lovely historic home called Whitehall. Big white columns. Lots of floral wallpaper. Sprawling gardens. Rabbits running around the yard. Think old South and weddings with big tents and champagne flowing. This doubled for our "country club" tennis team, the Fountain Club. Weather reports indicated the possibility of heavy rain. It arrived early and in buckets. Though much of the morning was going to be interior shoots, not all of it was going to be. A quick revision of the screenplay allowed for a scene that was to take place on a tennis court to be moved to an office instead. The result was something much more comedic (which we needed) thanks to our crack production design team, headed by James Wise (the most cheerful, overworked man I have ever met and his sidekick Hannah, lovely and cheerful and talented, as well). Dash Mihok's hysterically funny performance also helped make the scene even better.
By lunch, Kathryn and I were rallying the team to see if we could get back to the Louisville Boat Club where we'd spent two of the hardest days of my professional life. The LBC is a fantastic tennis club on the river where for two Mondays we have shot the finale of the film, the climactic showdown between our hero and his team and the evil Fountain Club team. Both days were hellish. On me. On the crew. On the cast. On the Boat Club. Blazing hot sun on clay courts. Two dozen characters, most of them playing tennis (most of them actors who have never held a racquet until this movie), a hundred or so extras and an exhausted crew, since Tuesday is our only day off. Long story short - I didn't get everything I needed. So we begged Mark at LBC to return today for a couple of hours with a smaller crew and two cast members, Josh Hopkins (the hero, Owen) and Dash (Charles, of the evil Fountain Club). I knew that if I could get just these two guys back on the LBC courts, I could get what I needed to cut together the big scene at the end of the film. But other things needed to cooperate, especially weather, which had not been cooperating. Sidebar: It's difficult to concentrate on any scene when you know that the BIG SCENE you need is incomplete and can't be complete because you (1) have lost the location; (2) have run out of any extra time to shoot anything else; and (3) one of your lead actors finishes his work that day (Dash). So lots working against us. I wonder if any of this is making sense. Hope so.
Okay. Our fabu associate producer Laura Morton negotiated some time at LBC with Mark, who said we could come to the courts, but he wouldn't know until 3 or 4 if it was safe even to put a camera out on the clay. The rain had pummeled them so hard, the dolly might sink into the court clay. We took the chance and quickly shot everything we needed at Whitehall and moved to LBC.
The weather cleared! And we got what we needed, I hope.
I want to write more so I don't forget how incredible this experience has been and continues to be, but I am going to fall asleep. More rain in the forecast, but for now I am hopeful - and hoping - for sunshine.
This morning we shot at a lovely historic home called Whitehall. Big white columns. Lots of floral wallpaper. Sprawling gardens. Rabbits running around the yard. Think old South and weddings with big tents and champagne flowing. This doubled for our "country club" tennis team, the Fountain Club. Weather reports indicated the possibility of heavy rain. It arrived early and in buckets. Though much of the morning was going to be interior shoots, not all of it was going to be. A quick revision of the screenplay allowed for a scene that was to take place on a tennis court to be moved to an office instead. The result was something much more comedic (which we needed) thanks to our crack production design team, headed by James Wise (the most cheerful, overworked man I have ever met and his sidekick Hannah, lovely and cheerful and talented, as well). Dash Mihok's hysterically funny performance also helped make the scene even better.
By lunch, Kathryn and I were rallying the team to see if we could get back to the Louisville Boat Club where we'd spent two of the hardest days of my professional life. The LBC is a fantastic tennis club on the river where for two Mondays we have shot the finale of the film, the climactic showdown between our hero and his team and the evil Fountain Club team. Both days were hellish. On me. On the crew. On the cast. On the Boat Club. Blazing hot sun on clay courts. Two dozen characters, most of them playing tennis (most of them actors who have never held a racquet until this movie), a hundred or so extras and an exhausted crew, since Tuesday is our only day off. Long story short - I didn't get everything I needed. So we begged Mark at LBC to return today for a couple of hours with a smaller crew and two cast members, Josh Hopkins (the hero, Owen) and Dash (Charles, of the evil Fountain Club). I knew that if I could get just these two guys back on the LBC courts, I could get what I needed to cut together the big scene at the end of the film. But other things needed to cooperate, especially weather, which had not been cooperating. Sidebar: It's difficult to concentrate on any scene when you know that the BIG SCENE you need is incomplete and can't be complete because you (1) have lost the location; (2) have run out of any extra time to shoot anything else; and (3) one of your lead actors finishes his work that day (Dash). So lots working against us. I wonder if any of this is making sense. Hope so.
Okay. Our fabu associate producer Laura Morton negotiated some time at LBC with Mark, who said we could come to the courts, but he wouldn't know until 3 or 4 if it was safe even to put a camera out on the clay. The rain had pummeled them so hard, the dolly might sink into the court clay. We took the chance and quickly shot everything we needed at Whitehall and moved to LBC.
The weather cleared! And we got what we needed, I hope.
I want to write more so I don't forget how incredible this experience has been and continues to be, but I am going to fall asleep. More rain in the forecast, but for now I am hopeful - and hoping - for sunshine.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Exhilarating.
The morning began in a sweaty, un-air conditioned locker room and ended in a swimming pool. In between, we shot four scenes, three of them intensely hot on a gravel rooftop under a blinding sun. Fortunately, the day was made bearable by superb, moving and funny performances from Sam McMurray, Josh Hopkins and the rest of the talented cast, and a tenacious, hardworking crew.
No energy to write more now, but so happy with the results of everyone's work today.
Up on the roof.
Locker room scenes done. Moving to the roof!
Great day of scenes in the JCC locker room.
Great day of scenes in the JCC locker room.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Day Two: Sunscreen.
Ironic that on a movie called Tan Lines, I forgot to apply sunscreen to my Scottish complexion. Neck and nose and cheeks received quite a beating today. No complaining, though. I wanted clear skies and that's what we have, so far.
Wrapped at 7:30 (7:29 to be exact) after a grueling morning and a rushed afternoon. Still, the footage looks beautiful and the performances sublime. Josh and the guys keep finding wonderful moments that have enlivened and deepened the story.
Tomorrow we're on the courts all day.
My latest favorite on-set comment comes (again) from Kathryn Tucker (with a hat tip to Dennis Dugan, I think), which was directed to the entire cast and crew: "Thanks everyone! You all did great work today except for one of you. Have a good night!" And then she walks away.
Big laughs.
Wrapped at 7:30 (7:29 to be exact) after a grueling morning and a rushed afternoon. Still, the footage looks beautiful and the performances sublime. Josh and the guys keep finding wonderful moments that have enlivened and deepened the story.
Tomorrow we're on the courts all day.
My latest favorite on-set comment comes (again) from Kathryn Tucker (with a hat tip to Dennis Dugan, I think), which was directed to the entire cast and crew: "Thanks everyone! You all did great work today except for one of you. Have a good night!" And then she walks away.
Big laughs.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Day One
I had no idea that beet juice would stain blond hair.
Other than that, Day One of production on TAN LINES was relatively surprise-free, thanks mostly to the fantastic cast and crew that worked as hard as I've seen any group I can recall — many of them first-timers on a set. Helped enormously by a colorful location (Louisville's own Vietnam Kitchen) and a sunny day, we made our day of nearly two dozen shots (multiple takes), seven pages in all. Or, as Gill says, six percent of the film. My feet appreciated that statistic, as I was on them all day.
Today's scenes all took place in a restaurant in which our heroes face-off with their opponents at a "Throwdown," an eating contest between tennis pros. For some reason it makes me think of the movie MEATBALLS, but without the tube socks and disco soundtrack.
The cast spent a good part of the day stuffing their faces with food: moo shu tofu, chicken on a stick, boiled eggs, fried rice and beets, which, as I mentioned, stains hair, among other things. It's too late to go into it now, I need to sleep, but I'll say this: watching an actor get splattered with beet juice is a lot of fun.
Tomorrow we move to the main location. Can't wait for Day Two.
Other than that, Day One of production on TAN LINES was relatively surprise-free, thanks mostly to the fantastic cast and crew that worked as hard as I've seen any group I can recall — many of them first-timers on a set. Helped enormously by a colorful location (Louisville's own Vietnam Kitchen) and a sunny day, we made our day of nearly two dozen shots (multiple takes), seven pages in all. Or, as Gill says, six percent of the film. My feet appreciated that statistic, as I was on them all day.
Today's scenes all took place in a restaurant in which our heroes face-off with their opponents at a "Throwdown," an eating contest between tennis pros. For some reason it makes me think of the movie MEATBALLS, but without the tube socks and disco soundtrack.
The cast spent a good part of the day stuffing their faces with food: moo shu tofu, chicken on a stick, boiled eggs, fried rice and beets, which, as I mentioned, stains hair, among other things. It's too late to go into it now, I need to sleep, but I'll say this: watching an actor get splattered with beet juice is a lot of fun.
Tomorrow we move to the main location. Can't wait for Day Two.
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